The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having a cyclone dust collecting part that separates dust and dirt by forming suction air into a whirling stream.
Conventional examples of vacuum cleaners having a cyclone dust collecting part that separates dust and dirt (hereinafter simply xe2x80x9cdustxe2x80x9d) by forming suction air into a whirling stream are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registered No. 2583345 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-85159. According to these publications, a connection pipe that is connected, at one end, to a suction port body having a suction port is coupled, at the other end, to a cyclone dust collecting part. The cyclone dust collecting part communicates, through a suction hose, with the body of the vacuum cleaner.
FIG. 26 shows a sectional view, as seen from the side, of the cyclone dust collecting part, and FIG. 27 shows a sectional view taken along line Axe2x80x94A shown in FIG. 26. The suction air produced by an electric blower passes through a connection pipe 50 and flows into the cyclone dust collecting part 51 through a flow-in port 51a. The suction air, as it passes through a helical passage 51b formed inside the cyclone dust collecting part 51, is formed into a whirling stream. As the suction air swirls, under centrifugal force, the dust contained therein collides with a wall surface 53a of an inner cylinder part 53, with the result that the dust falls, along a conical part 53c provided in the inner cylinder part 53, into a dust collecting chamber 55.
The suction air having dust separated therefrom is exhausted through an exhaust port 51c and is fed to a body (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner. In this way, the dust collecting chamber 55 for accommodating dust is provided in the cyclone dust collecting part 51, which is integral with the connection pipe 50. This helps miniaturize the vacuum cleaner and enhance the operability thereof.
However, in the conventional vacuum cleaner described above, the suction passage that runs from the helical passage 51b through the exhaust port 51c is separated from the dust collecting chamber 55 by the conical part 53c. As a result, the dust collecting chamber 55 arranged below the conical part 53c and the suction passage make the cyclone dust collecting part 51 unduly large, spoiling the operability of the vacuum cleaner when the aforementioned suction port body thereof is moved around.
Moreover, inside the dust collecting chamber 55, fine and coarse particles of dust are collected in a mixed manner. This leads to problems like, when the dust collected in the dust collecting chamber 55 is disposed of, fine particles thereof rising into the air and making the surroundings dirty, and such fine particles of dust evading through the exhaust port 51c and damaging the electric blower.
These problems can be solved by providing a dust container inside the body of the vacuum cleaner and permitting fine particles of dust to evade through the exhaust port 51c so that they are filtered out by the dust container. However, this method requires that the body of the vacuum cleaner be made larger, and in addition requires that the refuse collected in the dust container be disposed of, which spoils the operability of the vacuum cleaner when the refuse is disposed of.
An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner that has a miniaturized cyclone dust collecting part but that nevertheless offers improved operability when refuse is disposed of and that is less prone to failure in the electric blower thereof.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a vacuum cleaner is provided with a suction port body having a suction port, an electric blower for generating suction air, a connection pipe connected to the suction port body, and a cyclone type dust collecting part, disposed between the suction port body and the electric blower, for forming the introduced suction air into a whirling stream so as to separate dust. Here, a dust collecting chamber for accommodating the separated dust is provided within a suction air passage of the cyclone type dust collecting part.
In this structure, the suction air produced by the electric blower and introduced through a flow-in port flows through the connection pipe into the cyclone type dust collecting part. Inside the cyclone type dust collecting part, as the suction air flows in the form of a whirling stream, dust is separated therefrom, and the dust is accommodated in the dust collecting chamber. The suction air having dust separated therefrom passes through the dust collecting chamber, and is then exhausted by being sucked by the electric blower.
Alternatively, according to the present invention, a vacuum cleaner is provided with a suction port body having a suction port an electric blower for generating suction air, a connection pipe connected to the suction port body, and a cyclone type dust collecting part, disposed between the suction port body and the electric blower, for forming the suction air introduced through a flow-in port into a whirling stream so as to separate dust and then discharging the suction air through an exhaust port. Here, a first dust collecting chamber and a second dust collecting chamber for accommodating the separated dust are provided in the cyclone type dust collecting part. The first and second dust collecting chambers are separated from each other by a partition wall having an opening part formed therein.
In this structure, the suction air produced by the electric blower and introduced through the flow-in port flows through the connection pipe into the cyclone type dust collecting part. Inside the cyclone type dust collecting part, as the suction air flows in the form of a whirling stream, dust is separated therefrom. Larger particles of the dust are blocked by the partition wall and are accommodated in the first dust collecting chamber; smaller particles of the dust are permitted through through holes and are accommodated in the second dust collecting chamber. The suction air having dust separated therefrom is exhausted by being sucked by the electric blower.
According to the present invention, in the vacuum cleaner structured as described above, it is possible to arrange the first dust collecting chamber within the suction air passage of the cyclone type dust collecting part and the second dust collecting chamber outside the suction air passage of the cyclone type dust collecting part. In this structure, the suction air having dust separated therefrom passes through the first dust collecting chamber and is then exhausted by being sucked by the electric blower. Meanwhile, the dust collected in the second dust collecting chamber is prevented from being mixed with the suction air again and exhausted together through the exhaust port.
According to the present invention, in the vacuum cleaner structured as described above, the first and second dust collecting chambers may be arranged so as to be detachable from the cyclone type dust collecting part. In this structure, refuse is disposed of with the first and second dust collecting chambers detached from the cyclone type dust collecting part.
According to the present invention, in the vacuum cleaner structured as described above, at least part of the first and second dust collecting chambers may be formed out of a transparent member that permits an inside to be viewed from outside. In this structure, the amount of dust collected in the first and second dust collecting chambers can be visually checked from outside.
According to the present invention, in the vacuum cleaner structured as described above, a valve for closing the flow-in port when the electric blower is at rest may be provided. In this structure, even when the electric blower is at rest, backflow of the collected dust is prevented.
According to the present invention, in the vacuum cleaner structured as described above, the exhaust port may be provided in the cylindrical surface of an inner cylinder that is slidable inside an outer cylinder that is provided so as to protrude into the first dust collecting chamber so that, when the exhaust port is clogged, the exhaust port is covered by the outer cylinder under the suction force of the electric blower. In this structure, when the exhaust port is clogged, the inner cylinder is sucked into the outer cylinder under vacuum pressure, so that the exhaust port is covered by the outer cylinder.
According to the present invention, in the vacuum cleaner structured as described above, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure difference between in the suction air passage of the cyclone type dust collecting part and in the exhaust passage for the suction air exhausted through the exhaust port may be provided. In this structure, when the pressure difference between on the upstream and downstream sides of the exhaust port reaches a predetermined level, the exhaust port is detected being clogged.
According to the present invention, in the vacuum cleaner structured as described above, the cyclone type dust collecting part may be arranged substantially parallel to the connection pipe and on the side of the connection pipe opposite to the floor surface, with the opening part provided away from the connection pipe.
According to the present invention, in the vacuum cleaner structured as described above, the cyclone type dust collecting part may be arranged substantially parallel to the connection pipe, with part of the connection pipe bent so as to form a handle part to be held by a user during cleaning